Journal of Culture and Values in Education

Navigating the Academic Odyssey: Exploring the Role of Supervisors in Supporting Postgraduate Students

2024-02-24T00:27:06+03:00

Postgraduate supervision entails an intensive, one-on-one academic relationship between the supervisor and student. Through this relationship, the supervisor facilitates the student's scholarly development. This study investigates supervisors' roles in supporting postgraduate students from the students’ perspective. This study through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 12 doctoral and masters students at two universities seeks to investigate how postgraduate students perceive and undergo guidance from their supervisors. The factors analyzed include the role of networking and motivational supports provided by supervisors during postgraduate students’ research journey. This study explores the ways supervisors provide career mentoring and networking to prepare students for postgraduate careers, and how they inspire and emotionally assist students through inherent research challenges. The findings identify strengths in supervisory support and areas needing enhancement. The findings indicate that many students desire more hands-on help with methodology and writing and career mentoring emerges as an area where postgraduate support falls short of expectations. The study recommends that supervisor trainings be provided for supervisors and intending ones, and such trainings should be focused on writing guidance, networking, advising and motivation. By implementing such programs, universities can empower supervisors to optimally assist students, thereby enhancing experiences and outcomes.

Chronicling the Experiences of Life Sciences Teachers and Learners on the Usage of Enquiry-Based Learning in Enhancing Learners’ Academic Performance

2024-02-24T00:27:06+03:00

Life sciences research provides critical insights into disease processes and allows for the development of novel treatments and innovative medical technologies, thereby directly improving human health and technology. Despite the widely acknowledged relevance of life sciences, there has been a long-term pattern of low performance. This is due to inefficient teaching methods, as how a lesson is delivered influences the learners' level of understanding, among other things. Hence, the present study examined the experiences of life sciences teachers and learners in using IBL to enhance the academic performance of life science learners. This study was underpinned by the interpretivism paradigm, a qualitative approach, and a participatory research approach. The study population consisted of all life sciences learners in a rural school in the Amathole West district, Eastern Cape province of South Africa, from which 2 life sciences teachers and 14 learners were conveniently sampled. Data were collected using interviews, observations, and document reviews, and they were analysed using thematic analysis. The research findings revealed that enquiry-based learning has the potential to foster the development of critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills among life sciences learners. However, several issues make it difficult to successfully implement enquiry-based learning in the context of teaching and learning life sciences, including a lack of resources, time constraints, misreading of instructions, a lack of support or supervision, and a lack of pedagogical topic expertise among teachers. The study concludes that enquiry-based learning, when done right, can help learners understand life sciences concepts deeper and remember what they have learnt for a longer period.

“I Thought It [University] was the Only Way to Go:” Competent Agents in Pursuit of Possible Paths beyond University Walls

2024-02-24T00:27:05+03:00

This qualitative study documents the experiences of youths in Montréal during both their university and post-university phases, specifically focusing on individuals whose parents originate from the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, or Latin America. Through semi-structured interviews with six youths who interrupted their university studies, our investigation employs the theory of structuration and the concept of intergenerational temporality. The findings illuminate the challenges these individuals face in deciphering the intricacies of the academic landscape and highlight their struggle to establish a genuine sense of belonging within the university environment. Furthermore, our analysis sheds light on the discernible impact of parental expectations, which contribute to prolonging their educational journey. Notably, following the interruption of their university studies, our examination accentuates the agency displayed by these youths beyond the confines of the university. Their choices to either reenroll in a college or technical program or directly enter the job market underscore their agency. In conclusion, we underscore the imperative need to deconstruct the prevailing university model, advocating for a paradigm shift that prioritizes adapting the educational system to the diverse needs of students. This approach, rooted in principles of equity and social justice, emphasizes the significance of reconfiguring the educational landscape to better serve the student body.

The Administration of Customary Marriage in the Bakgatla Ba A Mocha Ba Marapyane

2024-02-24T00:27:05+03:00

Marriage is administered differently within ethnic groupings of Batswana with each tribe observing and practising rituals and customs that are peculiar to it. This paper sheds light on the marriage customs of the Bakgatla ba a Mocha through its different phases, from its initiation, betrothal, the seeking of the hand of the woman’s hand in marriage through to the wedding ceremony. The research methodologies that will be applied are semiotics and moral philosophical didactics.

Data-Driven Insights into Non-Purchasing Behaviours through Latent Dirichlet Allocation: Analysing Study Material Acquisition Among University Students

2024-03-16T01:01:54+03:00

The advent of technology has shifted higher education students’ educational resource acquisition from traditional printed textbooks to digital formats. This shift is underscored by recent scholarship. The current study extended the discourse on student educational resource acquisition, beyond digital preference. It offers a nuanced view of strategies encompassing digital resources and traditional methods such as library and peer borrowing. The aim of this study was to investigate non-purchasing behaviours of university students in acquiring study material. An online survey link was sent through email to all registered students in the university, out of which a total of 1500 participated – this sample included all students from the four schools. The survey sought to answer the following questions: How do you access books? Besides buying, what other strategies have you employed to access books? Data were analysed using Dirichlet allocation for topic modelling to extract the topics from participants' qualitative responses. The study’s findings reveal a complex interplay of socio-economic factors that influence student behaviour. Digital downloads emerged as a prominent strategy, indicating a reliance on online resources. However, borrowing from libraries and peers was significant, which highlights the role of social learning communities. This study contributes to the understanding of how the cost of textbooks impacts academic choices and success, emphasising the social justice implications of textbook affordability. The rise of alternative media suggests a need to reimagine educational resources. It potentially reflects a generational shift in media consumption. This study’s insights advocate for educational institutions and policymakers to reassess resource provisioning to align with the evolving landscape of higher education students’ academic resource acquisition. This will ensure equitable access to educational material.

Ubuntugogy as a Viable Pedagogical Construct in African Education: A Literature Review

2024-04-01T01:21:10+03:00

Ubuntugogy as a method of teaching and learning emerged from the African theory and philosophy called Ubuntu. Ubuntugogy was introduced by Bangura (2005) as a proposed strategy for teaching and learning in the African classroom. For almost three centuries Africa has been subjected to and/or implementing Western methodologies, thus suppressing the notions of Ubuntu in African classrooms. This paper aims to critically analyse the literature and attempt to portray the viability of Ubuntugogy as a feasible pedagogical construct in education. It is also important to take note of the limitations that come with Ubuntugogy as a pedagogical construct. Utilising the SWOT analysis framework, this paper discusses the strengths and limitations that come with the practice of Ubuntugogy in the African context. Literature has revealed that Ubuntugogy has the potential to promote communalism, collaboration, respect in the classroom and appreciation of African knowledge systems. In contrast, literature has also indicated that Ubuntugogy can face challenges like individualism, stereotypical mentalities, and lack of interest from the stakeholders. Taking into account the analysis, it is safe to mention that Ubuntugogy is a viable pedagogical construct to be utilised in the African classrooms. This paper recommends a change in stakeholders’ mindsets, the practice of collaborative instruction and collaborations between the stakeholders and students. Taking into consideration the literature presented in this article, it is proposed that the teaching and learning paradigm should change from non-Africa philosophies to African-based theories and philosophies.

The Effects of Educators' Mathematics Pedagogical Content Knowledge on The Mentoring of Grade 12 Students Using Problem-Based Learning

2024-04-02T01:21:44+03:00

This study investigated the effects of educators' mathematics pedagogical content knowledge on the mentoring of Grade 12 students using problem-based learning in two selected secondary schools in the Amajuba district in KwaZulu-Natal. The study collected qualitative data from four participating mathematics educators through the semi-structured interview questions that were presented to them. The data were analysed thematically according to the various sub-structures within Shulman’s theoretical framework. The investigation suggests that educators who are well versed in mathematics pedagogical content knowledge, are masters of Grade 12 mathematics content, which enables them to use various teaching methodologies to design and implement lessons to successfully overcome students' difficulties. To achieve this, educators need additional information, like the curriculum's scope, educational objectives, and adequate teaching resources. Furthermore, the participants contend that mastery of content and delivery entails knowing the curriculum and their students' various age-appropriate learning difficulties; for effective lesson delivery. Moreover, the learning of mathematics needs to be student-centred, with an emphasis on group work, for the mutual and collaborative building of new knowledge on existing knowledge, under the educator’s guidance. The study's findings also showed that Grade 12 Mathematics content is abstract therefore, subject educators should facilitate learning through a more concretised approach using realistic scenarios that appeal to the cognitive structures of individual students. Based on the findings, the study suggests that problem-based learning is the preferred instructional approach to teaching and learning Grade 12 mathematics and educators require development in their professional and content capacity in the use thereof.